


mistletoe

by maddy_does (favefangirl)



Series: Wolfstar Holiday Prompts 2020 [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Charms, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Mistletoe, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27945302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/favefangirl/pseuds/maddy_does
Summary: The boys devise a plan to get Lily and James together this Christmas. Unsurprisingly, this plan fails monumentally. Well, what do you expect when four teenage boys play at Cupid?
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Series: Wolfstar Holiday Prompts 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035558
Kudos: 44





	mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/remus-john-lupin/634951075596828672) prompt set :)

It was a genius plan. Everyone knows Lily loves Christmas. She's always going on about festive spirit. So this was the perfect way to finally give her that extra nudge towards James and their eternal domestic bliss.

In theory.

Except it's been four days and she and James haven't been caught under the mistletoe _once_. Peter, ever the charms specialist, enchanted it so that if two people are stood under it together, they can't move until they kiss. Really clever stuff, as they've well reminded him, an extra step to make their already brilliant plan God tier. Or, it would've been had Lily and James ended up trapped beneath it. So far, no luck. What they have found, however, is quite how successful a charm Peter has managed because James and Lily may not have shared a special Christmas kiss yet, but Sirius and Remus have.

Thrice.

It's really starting to drive Sirius insane because, _crazily_ it's a lot more difficult to try and deal with your tragic, unrequited feelings towards your friend when you don't have to kiss them every other afternoon. Make no mistake, they've only been pecks. Neither of them have needed a full on make-out session in the middle of the common room. But they've been enough that Sirius hasn't stopped dreaming about Remus' lips. Twice now he's woken up hard after a tantalising dream that had heavily featured Remus, his lips, and significantly fewer clothes than either of them typically wear on the daily. Sirius is fucked.

He's been dealing with these feelings for Remus for about a year now, maybe a little longer. Figuring it out had been a bitch, but then he couldn't really find another reason why he got so jealous of Remus' new (blissfully brief) relationship last year. He liked him. Really liked him. More than, if anything, but he wasn't quite prepared yet to say the other 'l' word. Dealing with it has involved a lot of private time in the shower, desperately wringing every interaction where he's made Remus laugh or smile for every last drop of serotonin, and trying his best not to act weird around him. Kissing him on the regular is not making any of the above easier to deal with.

He doesn't quite understand how it keep happening - he and Remus both helped hang the bunches, they both know where they are. What's more is that it hasn't happened to seemingly anyone else. Not even Peter and James who had passed under the one hung by the portrait had been caught in it. Remus and Sirius had been walking by the one in the dining hall _separately_ and still ended up unable to move. It felt like the universe was conspiring against Sirius, and he was just about at his limit with it all.

He storms into their dorm after it had happens for the fourth time to find Peter. The memory of Remus' soft lips against his, however briefly, is burned into his brain, and will probably stay with him until he dies. Peter looks up from his Potions book when Sirius enters the room and offers him a meek smile. Sirius is really not in the mood for pleasantries, so he storms over and rips the book out of Peter's hands. Peter protests, looking shocked, but Sirius simply raises a hand to silence him.

"Peter, you're one of my best friends and I love you, but if you don't do something about the mistletoe, I am going to feed you to the Giant Squid," Sirius explains, voice faux calm. Peter bites his lip and looks sheepish. Sirius smiles at him tightly. "Yes, Peter. Something you'd like to share with the class?"

Peter swallows audibly, and Sirius is immediately nervous. "Well, it's just..." Sirius quirks an eyebrow to get him to continue. "Something I forgot to mention was that there's an extra layer to the spell."

Sirius' jaw tightens and he has to remind himself once again that he and Peter are best friends, and he loves him. "What layer, Peter?"

"I thought I was being really clever," Peter says, defensively, sitting up straighter on the bed. "I'm only really good at charms, and I thought it was a good idea, so I showed off a bit!"

"Peter," Sirius hisses, gripping the book tighter.

"So, you only get caught by the mistletoe if you really love each other," Peter mumbles, then flinches. Slowly, he uncurls his body, watching Sirius suspiciously.

Sirius is far too busy trying to understand what he's just been told to even react. Primarily because, oh Merlin, there's that other 'l' word, and boy is he not prepared for that yet. But also because Peter had said 'each other' as in reciprocated, as in Remus feels about Sirius the way that Sirius feels about him. And that thought it just so unfathomable Sirius doesn't even know what to say.

"You mean..."

"Yeah," Peter nodded, still not looking fully comfortable. "That for you and Remus to keep being stuck by the charm, you need to both love each other."

Sirius has to sit down. Remus? _Love him_? No. Not possible. He would know. He's spent the best part of a year analysing and overanalysing every interaction he and Remus have had - of course he would know! But Remus just sees him as a friend, he's sure of it. Absolutely sure. Peter must have it wrong, or he got his spells mixed up, or something, because there's no fucking way that Remus loves him back.

"Sorry," Peter says, tentatively. "I assumed you both knew how you felt about each other."

"Remus is not in love with me, Peter." Sirius denies, trying to be stern and sounding awfully like his mother for comfort. Peter pulls an unconvinced face. "Is Remus in love with me?"

Peter nods, a small thing, but conclusive enough. It tilts Sirius' world on its axis. The only thing worse than tragic, unrequited feelings are _requited_ ones. But, wait, he's really getting ahead of himself. Establish the facts: he likes- okay, _loves_ Remus, and apparently Remus feels the same way. Neither one of them have had the balls to tell the other, despite the fact that they are apparently obvious enough that their friend has noticed. He now has absolutely no idea how to proceed from here. 

"Maybe tell him?" Peter suggests, and Sirius hadn't even realised he was talking out loud.

That's frankly a laughable idea, anyway. Tell him. If he tells Remus how he feels then that means he's putting himself out there for rejection. Sure, he and Remus could confess their feelings, get together, and live happily ever after, but Sirius knows he's not that guy. He's the guy people come to for a quick hook-up, or a last minute date to the dance, he's absolutely not the 'til death do us part kinda guy. Not that he and Remus are getting married, but he's not the kind of guy people settle down with. He can't stand the thought of he and Remus telling each other how they feel, only to have Remus reject anything more.

But what's the alternative? Go on as though he doesn't know that Remus shares his feelings? That there is the potential there for them to have something tangible? He doesn't think he could act as though he doesn't know if he tried. How would he do that? To go about his life with the what ifs might actually be worse than an outright rejection, as unpleasant as both of those options sound. 

"Tell him," Sirius echoes, still mostly lost in thought.

"What've you two done now?" Remus asks, walking into the dorm, squinting at the two of them.

"Not me," Peter claims, throwing his hands up. He gets up off the bed and takes the book back out of Sirius' grasp as he passes. He shoots him a poignantly look, then spares a smile for Remus before he walks out of the room.

"Alright, what've _you_ done now," Remus acquiesces, tilting his head and raising his eyebrows at the same time.

Sirius swallows and stares at him. Confessing his feelings felt like considerably less of a monumental challenge when he was talking theoretically with Peter. Now he's looking Remus in the eye, those lovely pale and green, and he can't seem to make his own mouth move. His palms are clammy, his heart is pounding, and he has to bite down hard on his lip in order to centre himself.

"Oh," Remus says, eyes widening, "That bad? Should we call the lawyer or..."

"Peter lied." Sirius bursts out, because the silence is worse than the words he wants to say, and because if Remus keeps interrogating him he doesn't know what he'll come out with. Unsurprisingly, this line of thought doesn't seem like much of a better option. 

Remus frowns. "About?"

And oh Merlin and Morgana, Sirius has really landed himself in it now. "The mistletoe," He answers, hoping to buy himself some time.

"Right," Remus says, cheeks turning pink.

Fantastic - now Sirius has embarrassed him. There's literally no possible way that this situation could be made any better by delving into a conversation about their feelings. Remus already looks seconds away from bolting, the last thing Sirius needs to do is create further misery for them both by trapping them in a conversation that has the potential to destroy their friendship.

But he also knows he can't go on pretending he doesn't know how Remus feels about him. How they feel about each other. So he continues, "The charm doesn't just trap people below the mistletoe." Remus squints at him. "It only traps people who ... " and he can't get around saying it "are in love."

Remus flinches, eyes widening, taking a step back that looks almost subconsciousness. Sirius wonders if he never used that word, either. Or if maybe Remus hadn't been aware at all. God, what if Peter was wrong? What if he's just completely ruined everything right now. What if Remus doesn't even want him? Is the rejection better? can he live with this either way?

Remus opens his mouth to respond, but it's at that moment that James bursts through the door with an elated grin on his face. "Lads! It's finally happened! Lily and I got caught in the mistletoe!"

Sirius is honestly sick to the teeth of this mistletoe, but whatever kind of crisis he's having, he's still going to be supportive of his best friend so he manages a weak, "Congrats, mate!"

"I'm so happy I could die!" James all but shouts. "I'm gonna go find Peter and tell him!"

He's back out the door just as quickly as he came in, and despite everything, Sirius can't help but huff a laugh at his antics. He loves James enough that he won't begrudge him his happiness, even as his own seems to be falling apart right in front of his eyes, as he tries to keep the white knuckle grip he has on the situation at hand. He turns back to Remus, and his smile falters.

"I guess they're really in love, too," Remus observes.

Sirius is halfway to agreeing with him when he processes what Remus just said. "Too?"

There's a long stretch of silence between them that feels like it goes on for an eternity. Sirius made the first move, he justifies. Remus has to take the steps to meet him. They just stare at each other, though, neither making any move to react to the question that hangs in the air between them. Sirius begins to wonder if either of them will ever speak again, when Remus sighs, looks away, and scrubs a hand across his face.

"I didn't realise you felt the same," he mumbles to the floor. "I mean, there were times when I thought that maybe..." He shakes his head and screws his eyes shut. "I figured it was just wishful thinking." He manages to drag his gaze back to Sirius. "I figured that with all those people you've been with, you couldn't possibly want me instead."

Sirius' breath catches in his throat. All those people meant nothing - some of them less than. Sirius has only ever _wanted_ Remus in any kind of way that has meant something. Wanted to touch him, kiss him, hold his hand and run his fingers through those ridiculous curls. He doesn't want their relationship to change too much, not when they're already so close. He just wants _more_.

Remus shakes his head again. "How long?" Sirius finds the courage to ask, throat clicking as he swallows.

Remus' eyebrows scrunch together. "Three years?" He answers. "Maybe longer, but that's how long I've known for sure."

"But- Nessa?"

Remus chuckles and rubs his hand on the back of his neck. "I guess I was hoping that being with someone else might make the feelings go away." He shrugs. "I don't think anything would."

Sirius' heart feels fit to burst at the honesty. "So, what now?"

Remus frowns and shakes his head a little. "What do you mean?"

"Now we both know ... what happens now?"

Remus stares at him for a long minute, perhaps the longest of Sirius' life. Then, tentatively, he makes the short walk across the room until they're stood only a few inches away from one another. Slowly, he reaches out a hand, and tangles his pinky finger with Sirius'. He uses the hold to pull Sirius a step forward, so they're toe to toe. Sirius has to crane a little in order to keep looking into Remus' eyes.

"Maybe we see how this goes?" Remus asks, quietly.

Sirius nods. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

When they kiss this time, there's no charm making them do it, and it's the first of many to come.

**Author's Note:**

> how many days behind am i now? who can say, but at least i've kept up with coc 2020?
> 
> anyway, if you wanna leave a comment or a kudos they're much appreciated! especially let me know if there's something you think i forgot to tag! 
> 
> i'm taking prompts! if you're interested please drop the prompt in the comments below. if you do send a prompt be prepared for me to take fifty years to fill it because _uni_ , but i promise i'll try! come say hi on tumblr: [@maddy-does](https://maddy-does.tumblr.com/)
> 
> thanks for reading, have a wonderful existence.


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